Apple begins selling the iPad Air

November 1, 2013 12:43 PM

Karo Cara (middle) and Victor Tsaran (right) are some of the first customers buying Apple's new IPad Air at the Apple store on University Ave. in Palo Alto, California, on Friday, November 1, 2013.

Karo Cara (middle) and Victor Tsaran (right) are some of the first customers buying Apple's new IPad Air at the Apple store on University Ave. in Palo Alto, California, on Friday, November 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Karo Cara (middle) and Victor Tsaran (right) are some of the first... Photo-5403253.73247 - seattlepi.com

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Brad Peterson (front) from Los Altos and John Tumminaro (left) from Redwood City wait in line at the Apple store on University Ave. in Palo Alto, California, on Friday, November 1, 2013. Peterson has been waiting since 3:00am and Tumminaro has been waiting since 4:30am as Apple's new IPad Air goes on sale today. less

Brad Peterson (front) from Los Altos and John Tumminaro (left) from Redwood City wait in line at the Apple store on University Ave. in Palo Alto, California, on Friday, November 1, 2013. Peterson has been ... more

Max Wesel (with earphone) waits in line at the Apple store on University Ave. in Palo Alto, California, on Friday, November 1, 2013. Wesel has been waiting in line since 7:00am as Apple's new IPad Air goes on sale today. less

Max Wesel (with earphone) waits in line at the Apple store on University Ave. in Palo Alto, California, on Friday, November 1, 2013. Wesel has been waiting in line since 7:00am as Apple's new IPad Air goes on ... more

Customers shop for covers for the new IPad Air at the Apple store on University Ave. in Palo Alto, California, on Friday, November 1, 2013.

Customers shop for covers for the new IPad Air at the Apple store on University Ave. in Palo Alto, California, on Friday, November 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Customers shop for covers for the new IPad Air at the Apple store... Photo-5403265.73247 - seattlepi.com

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Apple's new IPad Air goes on sale today at the Apple store on University Ave. in Palo Alto, California, on Friday, November 1, 2013.

Apple's new IPad Air goes on sale today at the Apple store on University Ave. in Palo Alto, California, on Friday, November 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Apple's new IPad Air goes on sale today at the Apple store on... Photo-5403266.73247 - seattlepi.com

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Customer Dale Scott, left, gets help from an employee with setting up a new Apple Inc. iPad Air at a store in Palo Alto, California, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads aren't providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Tony Avelar/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Dale Scott less

Customer Dale Scott, left, gets help from an employee with setting up a new Apple Inc. iPad Air at a store in Palo Alto, California, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday ... more

Customers Anand Inani, left, and Sanjith Thayyilthodiyil check out the new Apple Inc. iPad Air on the first day of sales of the at a store in Palo Alto, California, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads aren't providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Tony Avelar/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Anand Inani; Sanjith Thayyilthodiyil less

Customers Anand Inani, left, and Sanjith Thayyilthodiyil check out the new Apple Inc. iPad Air on the first day of sales of the at a store in Palo Alto, California, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s ... more

Customer Noah Wasmer smiles while walking out with a new Apple Inc. iPad Air on the first day of sales at a store in Palo Alto, California, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads aren't providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Tony Avelar/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Noah Wasmer less

Customer Noah Wasmer smiles while walking out with a new Apple Inc. iPad Air on the first day of sales at a store in Palo Alto, California, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest ... more

Photo: Tony Avelar, Bloomberg

Customer Noah Wasmer smiles while walking out with a new Apple Inc.... Photo-5403270.73247 - seattlepi.com

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An advertisement for the new Apple Inc. iPad is displayed as a customer exits a store in Palo Alto, California, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads aren't providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Tony Avelar/Bloomberg less

An advertisement for the new Apple Inc. iPad is displayed as a customer exits a store in Palo Alto, California, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a ... more

Photo: Tony Avelar, Bloomberg

An advertisement for the new Apple Inc. iPad is displayed as a... Photo-5403271.73247 - seattlepi.com

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Customers walk out with new iPad Airs on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, in Stanford, Calif. Apple's iPad Air, a thinner, lighter and faster-running version of its previous large tablet computers, goes on sale Friday with a starting price of $499. The company also unveiled an updated version of its iPad Mini recently. It goes on sale sometime in November. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) less

Customers walk out with new iPad Airs on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, in Stanford, Calif. Apple's iPad Air, a thinner, lighter and faster-running version of its previous large tablet computers, goes on sale Friday ... more

A customer looks at the new iPad Air on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, in Stanford, Calif. Apple's iPad Air, a thinner, lighter and faster-running version of its previous large tablet computers, goes on sale Friday with a starting price of $499. The company also unveiled an updated version of its iPad Mini recently. It goes on sale sometime in November. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) less

A customer looks at the new iPad Air on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, in Stanford, Calif. Apple's iPad Air, a thinner, lighter and faster-running version of its previous large tablet computers, goes on sale Friday with ... more

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press

A customer looks at the new iPad Air on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, in... Photo-5403273.73247 - seattlepi.com

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Customers look at the new iPad Air on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, in Stanford, Calif. Apple's iPad Air, a thinner, lighter and faster-running version of its previous large tablet computers, goes on sale Friday with a starting price of $499. The company also unveiled an updated version of its iPad Mini recently. It goes on sale sometime in November. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) less

Customers look at the new iPad Air on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, in Stanford, Calif. Apple's iPad Air, a thinner, lighter and faster-running version of its previous large tablet computers, goes on sale Friday with a ... more

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press

Customers look at the new iPad Air on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, in... Photo-5403274.73247 - seattlepi.com

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Customers wait in line on the first day of sales for the iPad Air on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, in Stanford, Calif. Apple's iPad Air, a thinner, lighter and faster-running version of its previous large tablet computers, goes on sale Friday with a starting price of $499. The company also unveiled an updated version of its iPad Mini recently. It goes on sale sometime in November. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) less

Customers wait in line on the first day of sales for the iPad Air on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, in Stanford, Calif. Apple's iPad Air, a thinner, lighter and faster-running version of its previous large tablet ... more

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press

Customers wait in line on the first day of sales for the iPad Air... Photo-5403276.73247 - seattlepi.com

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The new iPad Air is displayed on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, in Stanford, Calif. Apple's iPad Air, a thinner, lighter and faster-running version of its previous large tablet computers, goes on sale Friday with a starting price of $499. The company also unveiled an updated version of its iPad Mini recently. It goes on sale sometime in November. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) less

The new iPad Air is displayed on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, in Stanford, Calif. Apple's iPad Air, a thinner, lighter and faster-running version of its previous large tablet computers, goes on sale Friday with a ... more

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press

The new iPad Air is displayed on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, in Stanford,... Photo-5403277.73247 - seattlepi.com

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NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 01: People buy the new Apple iPad Air at the Apple Store on November 1, 2013 in New York City. The new iPad, the fifth generation of the popular tablet, is 20% thinner and 28% lighter than the current fourth-generation iPad. It has the same 9.7-inch screen as previous iPads and uses the same A7 processing chip that's in the iPhone 5S. The iPad Air, which went on sale today, will start at $499 for a 16GB Wi-Fi-only model and go up to $629 for a 16GB with 4G LTE connectivity. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) less

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 01: People buy the new Apple iPad Air at the Apple Store on November 1, 2013 in New York City. The new iPad, the fifth generation of the popular tablet, is 20% thinner and 28% lighter ... more

Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 01: People buy the new Apple iPad Air at... Photo-5403278.73247 - seattlepi.com

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NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 01: Some of the first customers wait in line at the Apple store to purchase the new iPad Air, the fifth generation of its tablet on November 1, 2013 in New York City. The new iPad, which will also come in a mini version, is 20% thinner and 28% lighter than the current fourth-generation iPad. It has the same 9.7-inch screen as previous iPads and uses the same A7 processing chip that's in the iPhone 5S. The iPad Air, which went on sale today, will start at $499 for a 16GB Wi-Fi-only model and go up to $629 for a 16GB with 4G LTE connectivity. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) less

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 01: Some of the first customers wait in line at the Apple store to purchase the new iPad Air, the fifth generation of its tablet on November 1, 2013 in New York City. The new iPad, which ... more

Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 01: Some of the first customers wait in... Photo-5403279.73247 - seattlepi.com

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Apple Inc. employees help shoppers on the first day of sales of the new iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads aren't providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Craig Warga/Bloomberg less

Apple Inc. employees help shoppers on the first day of sales of the new iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales ... more

Photo: Craig Warga, Bloomberg

Apple Inc. employees help shoppers on the first day of sales of the... Photo-5403280.73247 - seattlepi.com

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Apple Inc. employees help shoppers purchase the new iPad Air on the first day of sales at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads aren't providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Craig Warga/Bloomberg less

Apple Inc. employees help shoppers purchase the new iPad Air on the first day of sales at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday ... more

Photo: Craig Warga, Bloomberg

Apple Inc. employees help shoppers purchase the new iPad Air on the... Photo-5403281.73247 - seattlepi.com

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Customers Abraham Garcia, left, and George Vizziello, both visiting from Spain, check out the new Apple Inc. iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads aren't providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Craig Warga/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Abraham Garcia; George Vizziello less

Customers Abraham Garcia, left, and George Vizziello, both visiting from Spain, check out the new Apple Inc. iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s ... more

Customer Yi Zhangof Queens, left, chats with Apple inc. employee Dave Weinstock about buying a new iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads arent providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Craig Warga/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Yi Zhangof; David Weinstock less

Customer Yi Zhangof Queens, left, chats with Apple inc. employee Dave Weinstock about buying a new iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for ... more

People wait on line on the first day of sales of the new Apple Inc. iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads arent providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Craig Warga/Bloomberg less

People wait on line on the first day of sales of the new Apple Inc. iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth ... more

Photo: Craig Warga, Bloomberg

People wait on line on the first day of sales of the new Apple Inc.... Photo-5403285.73247 - seattlepi.com

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Shoppers wait in line on the first day of sales of the new Apple Inc. iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads arent providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Craig Warga/Bloomberg less

Shoppers wait in line on the first day of sales of the new Apple Inc. iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales ... more

Photo: Craig Warga, Bloomberg

Shoppers wait in line on the first day of sales of the new Apple... Photo-5403286.73247 - seattlepi.com

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Rami Shamis celebrates after being the first to buy the new Apple Inc. iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads arent providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Craig Warga/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Rami Shamis less

Rami Shamis celebrates after being the first to buy the new Apple Inc. iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales ... more

Photo: Craig Warga, Bloomberg

Rami Shamis celebrates after being the first to buy the new Apple... Photo-5403287.73247 - seattlepi.com

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Rami Shamis celebrates after being the first to buy the new Apple Inc. iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads arent providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Craig Warga/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Rami Shamis less

Rami Shamis celebrates after being the first to buy the new Apple Inc. iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales ... more

Photo: Craig Warga, Bloomberg

Rami Shamis celebrates after being the first to buy the new Apple... Photo-5403288.73247 - seattlepi.com

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Apple Inc. employees give high fives to Rami Shamis for being first in line to buy the new iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads arent providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Craig Warga/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Rami Shamis less

Apple Inc. employees give high fives to Rami Shamis for being first in line to buy the new iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the ... more

People wait on line to buy the new Apple Inc. iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads arent providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Craig Warga/Bloomberg less

People wait on line to buy the new Apple Inc. iPad Air at the 5th Avenue Apple store in New York, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade ... more

Photo: Craig Warga, Bloomberg

People wait on line to buy the new Apple Inc. iPad Air at the 5th... Photo-5403291.73247 - seattlepi.com

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A woman, wearing a dog mask, uses a mobile device while holding a giant cardboard copy of an iPad as she waits in line with other customers outside an Apple Inc. store ahead of the launch of the company's iPad Air in the Ginza district of Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Apple Inc.'s forecast for the slowest holiday sales growth in a half decade reflects how iPhones and iPads arent providing the growth surges they once did as competition accelerates in the saturated mobile market. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg less

A woman, wearing a dog mask, uses a mobile device while holding a giant cardboard copy of an iPad as she waits in line with other customers outside an Apple Inc. store ahead of the launch of the company's iPad ... more